Survival In Hell
by AspiringOutcast
Summary: A Nick x Ellis Fanfic.   When your living in Hell, what hope is there for a better life? Why should you even struggle for the life that has so badly gone to ruin? DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

Ellis gasped for breath and kept running, Nick by his side. Ellis' legs were already killing him and he had only just started running. Rochelle and Coach had already been knocked down by the gigantic foe that was now in pursuit of the two men. They were taking out a horde, only a small one, and they had been dealing with it easily. That's when the Tank appeared. It caught them all by surprise and allowed them no more than three seconds at the most to react. Ellis hated Tanks. The conman turned his head to the young boy.

"There's a river up ahead, it will give us the advantage if we can cross it somehow" Nick shouted through quick breaths, Ellis simply nodded in reply and pushed on.

The Tank was gathering speed and getting closer to them every second, Ellis risked a quick glance back and his eyes widened at the infected, it was bigger than any other of its kind and looked angrier too. Turning his attention to where he was going he realised that they were almost at the river, and that there was an old bridge that seemed like it was made out of a worn out type of metal with ropes that looked as if they would snap at any second. The river is self looked deep and dangerous, the heads of the rocks were just sticking out over the surface of the river and by the looks of things, the current of the water was very strong. Nick was the first to arrive at the start of the bridge. "I'll go first, it won't support both our weight!" the conman shouted at him so he could be heard over the roaring river (and the angry tank). With out a seconds delay, Nick sprinted across the bridge, the rope creaking at the sudden weight. Arriving at the other side, Nick waved at Ellis quickly, to which the youngest took as a 'COME ON'. Ellis too sprinted across the bridge, he grinned, they were going to make it.

Looking up at Nick the grin faded, why was he looking so scared? Suddenly a large hand grasped the mechanic by the waist and started throwing him around like a rag doll. Ellis let out scream of terror and pain as the bridge started to collapse. Within a few moments the infected and its prey splashed down into the freezing cold waters of the river, the current swept them up and carried them along almost instantly. Ellis splashed around at the surface, panic clearly written in his eyes. The Tank however, seemed to somehow be knocked out from the thrashing of the violent waves, even though the Tank had lost its consciousness, it had not let go of the mechanics waist.

"NICK! GET ME OUT A' HERE!" Ellis shouted out to the conman, whom he could not see over the waves. Much to the mechanics delight, the waters seemed to calm down and lead out into a sort of small lagoon. Even though the water seemed even deeper than before, there was no current to keep carrying them along to their deaths. Ellis kept himself afloat, before feeling a herculean force dragging him down. The Tank_. _"No… no, no no!"Ellis screamed out at nothing.

He panicked once more as his head went under the murky water, feeling defenceless as his hands also were pulled under. As the mechanics body became fully emerged, both the Tank and Ellis sank faster. Ellis was already running out of air and his lungs began to ache, he started to try and to pull the Tanks hand off his waist only to fail as the Tanks grip was way too strong. The more Ellis struggled, the more disorientated he became. His eyes finally clouded over and even though he shouldn't, he took a deep breath, only to breath in the cold water around him. His struggle for survival had suddenly become hopeless. He could hear a faint splash coming from behind him, but he didn't care. He closed his blurry eyes and let the darkness take him.


	2. Chapter 2  How To Save a Life

**Thanks for reviewing my last chapter people. To those that don't like it because I 'killed off' Rochelle and Coach, it's your lucky day. They never got killed they were just simply knocked down. This here is the second Chapter, which will be Nicks point from the Tank grabbing Ellis to … well, you'll see. Enjoy.**

**Nick's P.O.V (Point of view):**

Nick arrived at the other end of the bridge, quickly turning around to signal to Ellis. As he did, his mouth dropped in shock and worry, the Tank was only a couple of feet away from the sprinting Mechanic. "Holy shit! It's behind you!" Nick yelled, clearly not being heard over the furious Tank's roar and the flowing of the wild river. Within an instant, the ropes holding the bridge up had snapped, sending the Tank and Ellis plummeting into the ice cold river. The Mechanic screamed as he went under, the river taking him downstream along with the current. Nick started to run along the river bank, desperately trying to keep up with Ellis. A heart stopping roar made Nick instantly grab his Magnum and aim ahead of him. Seeing the small horde of common infected run out to block his path, Nick put away his Magnum and instead threw his Pipe bomb at the horde, making almost every infected run out of his way. The one awkward infected that didn't bother to change course was picked off easily by Nick with a swing of his Machete. Nick kept on running, ignoring the Pipe bomb which had just exploded behind him. The conman looked at Ellis, who was ahead of him and gaining speed by the second. "Ah, tits" Nick mumbled to himself, throwing his magnum to the ground, hoping it will take some weight off his shoulders. Nick kept on running, ignoring a Boomer who tried to throw up on him as he ran past.

"Hold on Ellis!" The conman called to his team mate who was currently splashing about trying to keep his head above the surface.

Nick looked up ahead at Ellis' destination, a small yet deep lagoon in which the current seemed to just disappear, a perfect spot to make his move and save Ellis. Nick stumbled on a rock and ended up on the ground, cursing, he got back on his feet and started to once again sprint. After a few tiring moments, Nick reached the lagoon and looked at Ellis. He grinned, the water was completely calm, and Ellis looked relieved. Suddenly, the Mechanic started to sink and Nick's grin faded into a frown which quickly turned into a state of shock. The Tank was dragging him down with such speed that Ellis' head had already gone under. Nick once again cursed and took off his jacket, throwing it to he ground next to him. The pills quickly followed, but suddenly a long tongue wrapped around his chest and waist dragging him away from the lagoon. "Smoker's got me!" Nick cried out at the air, the tongue already making it so he couldn't breathe. _I__can__'__t__give__up__now!_Nick thought to himself before quickly grasping his machete and slashing at the tongue around him, the Smoker tongue split and Nick hissed in pain as the machete also cut slightly into his side. The Smoker behind him coughed and retreated whilst Nick ran back to the side of the lagoon and dived, still grasping the machete.

The cold water quickly enveloped the conman and the pressure in the water pushed down on his chest as he swam further down, ignoring the aching pain that had already sprouted in his lungs. Through the murky water Nick could see the Mechanic's much treasured hat floating effortlessly towards the surface, which Nick grabbed on his way past. Nick's stinging eyes widened as he spotted Ellis who had obviously passed out. Arriving next to the young boy, Nick started to slice away at the Tank's tough fingers. The Tank's blood flooded out of its wounds as the conman successfully freed Ellis from the grip of the Tank. Nick wrapped his arms around the Mechanic and made his way towards the surface. Nick's adrenaline kicked in and the two men broke the surface of the water. Instantly Nick carried his unconscious team mate to the side and lied him down on the earth. "Ellis! C'mon open your eyes!" Nick gently shook Ellis. Receiving no reply, Nick checked for breathing. "God damn it." He murmured when he saw that he wasn't breathing either. Nick knew what he had to do. Slightly hesitating, he tipped the young mans head back and opened the airway. Nick lowered his head down and locked lips with Ellis, breathing into his mouth every few seconds. Breaking away, Nick checked for pulse. Still none. Nick clasped his hand on top of the other and started to press down thirty times on Ellis' chest. Nick locked lips with him once more and breathed two times. Suddenly Ellis coughed and Nick broke away from him, grinning as the Mechanic gagged and coughed more water onto the ground beside him. "Welcome back, Overalls" The conman said, deciding not to show any happiness that he currently feeling. "Yeah…" The Mechanic murmured in reply before passing out once again.

**6 hours later, back at the safe house:**

Nick and Coach watched as Rochelle patched the sleeping Mechanic up. "He'll be fine. He just needs rest." Rochelle declared to the two anxious men. Nodding, Coach stood up. "I think I'm going to have some sleep myself. Rochelle, Nick, do you mind taking the first and second watch?" Nick looked at him, "Sure. I'll watch over the kid whilst Rochelle does first watch. Then we can switch". Coach smiled and walked into his own room across the small hall. Rochelle looked at Nick, "Wake him up after your watch" she said, nodding to Ellis, "You two can go get some supplies from the abandoned market not far from here". Rochelle walked out the room, making her way to the safe house door. Nick looked over to Ellis and sat on the tattered chair next to him. Awaiting the time when Ellis was going to wake up.

**There you are people. Second chapter is up. Hope you liked it. Review please. :D **

**~Outcast.**


	3. Chapter 3 Catching up with an old enemy

**Third chapter! Enjoy people. **

"Do I have to?" The younger man asked, his childish side coming out. Nick simply nodded at him and said, "Of course we have to. We need the supplies, now stop you're whining." The conman had dragged Ellis of out bed, literally. Ellis refused to get up and so Nick had grabbed him by the wrist and walked away, leaving the topless mechanic sprawling on the floor trying to cover himself up with thin air. Since then they had grabbed guns, a med kit and a bile bomb to share. They also had encountered a small yet annoying horde whilst on the way to the market to gather supplies for the journey to the next safe house.  
>"So… Overalls, what do we need?" Nick looked at his team mate. Ellis snapped out of his daydream and searched through his pockets, "One sec'" Ellis replied, fishing out a small piece of paper with messy writing on it. The mechanic strained his eyes to read the notes, "Urm… Ammo, any melee weapons if we see any and food" Nick nodded and entered the market place, stepping over to a stall, taking time to look at his surroundings. There were numerous abandoned stalls that filled the street. The walls of the buildings were covered in graffiti and the ground beneath them was littered in dead bodies of both infected and victims. Apart from the stalls, there was still one grocery shop that had still been left standing and in good condition. "I found some ammo and two shots." Nick called out, grabbing the shots of adrenaline off the stall next to him. Ellis had also followed the conman, immediately finding some sort of contraption on a broken window's ledge, "Looky looky." Ellis pointed at it, being a little cautious towards the object. "What you found there Overalls?" Nick asked the mechanic, also spotting the contraption. Ellis looked at Nick, "I don' know, but it looks suspicious". Nick stepped forward and had a look at the features of the strange object. It was a grey box that had at least thirteen different buttons in red and one weird green button that stood out from the others. Nick pushed the green button, being very cautious about his decision. The two men looked around, Nick stepping back as he did. "Puke incoming!" Ellis shouted, pointing up at a bucket falling off a roofs edge. They both started to move back, but it was too late, boomer bile spilled all over them, attracting the nearby horde. "God damn it I'm covered in goo!" Nick cried out, wiping the bile from his eyes. A large roar echoed through out the market, sending shivers down the two men's spines.<p>

Nick backed up, reloading his shotgun, "You better be ready overalls, because here they come!" the large group of common infected ran towards the two men, Nick automatically firing off bullets and taking down 3 infected. As for Ellis, he took out his machete and ran towards the zombies, slashing and hacking at those that come close to him, blood spewing from the wounded and dead. Ellis cried out in pain as one infected slashed at his back, tearing the Mechanic's skin right off, "Get down!" Nick shouted to him. Ellis quickly obeyed and heard a gunshot ring over his ears, the infected that had managed to harm him fell to its knees and on to the floor, having no neck, the head rolled away down the street.

Ellis groaned as the wind whistled over his open wound. Nick looked down to see the mess that the Mechanic was in, "Ah, tits." He cursed, helping Ellis up. When Ellis was half way up, Nick froze. A cough rang out amongst the silence. "Did you hear that overalls? I think it's one of those god damn Smokers" Nick finished helping Ellis to his feet and looked around, feeling a little protective over the injured man... Wait a second. Nick spun around only to see that Ellis was no longer by his side. The Conman looked around franticly, spotting the Mechanic being dragged away by a long tongue that belonged to the Smoker.

Nick ran after Ellis, bringing out his Magnum which was his only useable gun left. Ellis looked as if he was passed out, perhaps from the pain. Nick aimed at the tongue and fired, or tried to. The Magnum had done nothing but let out a soft click. Nick shook his head and reloaded, ready to fire again. Suddenly, the tongue broke and the Mechanic was released. "What the..." Nick asked the air, clearly shocked at what had just happened. Ellis raised his head and groaned, getting to his feet with the support of a nearby van. "Good aim you have there, Nick" Ellis said weakly. The conman was instantly at his side, supporting him but placing a finger on his lips. "Be quiet a second." Nick stated, searching the area for signs of movement. The Mechanic raised a brow at Nick, "What yer lookin' for?" Ellis asked him,  
>"I didn't shoot the tongue" Nick replied, Ellis' eyes widened from both pain and shock at Nicks words. "What did ya jus' say?" Nick sat Ellis down on the car's bonnet and looked him in the eyes, a small blush creeping up on Ellis' face. "I did not shoot the tongue. It was not me." Nick stated clearly, as if he was trying to speak to a child with hearing problems. The Mechanic gasped.<p>

Nick turned around at hearing footsteps. "Come forward you two." a deep voice called out to them. Nick didn't like to be ordered about. But he didn't have much choice, not without a gun to threaten them with. "C'mon you two." The voice called out again. Nick turned to face the Mechanic, seeing that his face was pale and needed healing quickly. Ignoring the voice, Nick set about using the med kit on the younger man. "Here, you've earned this." Nick whispered to him, Ellis smiled at him, "Much obliged". The sound of a gun being reloaded behind them made them freeze. Nick quickly recovered and looked at the newcomer. His eyes widened and he gulped, "John".

The man standing in front of them smirked. He was very muscular and had brown untamed hair. He was wearing a black tank top and jeans that looked torn to shreds. His shoes were black leather steel-toed boots that reached up just past his ankles, before being covered up by the mans jeans. "'Ello, Nicky" John grinned at him, "Been a long time since you last conned me." Nicks shocked expression turned into one that even Ellis shuddered at. Nick could certainly look threatening when he wanted to. "I hoped you had become one the infected or died a horrible death." Nick sneered at the man who was taken aback by his sudden boldness, Nick continued to glare daggers at John, who was laughing at him. "Oh Nick, you haven't even changed one little bit" he chuckled, but quickly turned serious. "My friend wants a talk with you. So, you and the hick move your asses towards that house over there, or I'm going to hurt both of you and drag you there myself" John pointed at a near by building, cocking his Hunting Rifle. Nick resisted the urge to punch John in the face and simply stated, "You and what army". John grinned and pointed to the top of the building, Nick followed to where he was pointing and shook his head. Numerous men were stood on top of the house, pointing their guns at them.  
>"Oh," Nick simply murmured, "That army". John pushed them towards the building, Nick automatically straightened up but Ellis tumbled to the ground with a grunt. John shook his head and grabbed him by his shirt, pulling the wounded man to his feet. "Get moving." John ordered harshly, his words aimed at the Mechanic. Nick added John to his list of people to punch. Slowly the three men made their way to the house, Nick quickly checked the house and took in its features. The house was two stories high and looked quite sturdy. The windows had been broken and bordered up with scrap metal that had obviously come from ruined cars. The door of the building looked exactly like a safe room's door, made out of metal and dented from where the infected had attacked the house. As for the walls, they too had metal fixed onto them. All in all, a good place for a hide out. "Nick? Where are they takin' us?" Ellis whispered, seeking a straight forward answer from the Conman. Nick just turned his head away from Ellis, deciding not to give him an answer.<p>

**There you go people. if you haven't guessed, I play a lot of Left 4 Dead 2 on the Xbox. If you want to, you can add me on it. My gamer tag is XxAbadabadooxX**

**Thanks for reading people and review :D**


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